ROGER FEDERER IN SINGLES & DOUBLES FINALS @ THE HALLE GERRY WEBER OPEN

Written by: Staff on 14th June 2014

ROGER FEDERER IN SINGLES & DOUBLES FINALS @ THE HALLE GERRY WEBER OPEN

epa04256244 Swiss tennis player Roger Federer during his semi final match against Japan's Kei Nishikori at the ATP tournament in Halle/Westphalia, Germany, 14 June 2014. EPA/CHRISTIAN WEISCHE |

Saturday In Gerry Weber World

By Cheryl Jones

The matches contested on Center Court at the Gerry Weber Open have a certain opulent flavor that belies the rural area where the venue is located. Over the 22 seasons that the tournament has been contested, most every top ranked player has passed through the gates of the venue at least once. In the 1993 kickoff tournament, the winner was eccentric French tennis star Henri Leconte. He was the first of many to receive the trophy in a lavish ceremony after the last match that honored not only the winning player, but the townspeople of Halle, who contribute so much to the tournament’s sparkle.

The site is spectacularly located in the midst of a forest in the Westphalia area of Germany. There are tall trees, rolling hills and farmlands that stretch for miles, (Actually, kilometers would more accurately describe the distances, since it is Germany.), in all directions. It is a serene setting that gives way to hordes of tennis lovers who descend on the community for one week each year. What they have traveled here for is first-class tennis. What they receive is that and a warm welcome from the volunteers who give up their vacation time each year to add what they can to one of the most well managed tournaments anywhere.

(Actually, as an aside, there are exceptions to those top players. There are a few who have skipped this event. It may seem obvious, and really, clarifying the absence of British players shouldn’t be necessary, but as tennis aficionados are aware, Queen’s is contested during the same timeframe, and it might be akin to sedition, treason or even blasphemy for Andy Murray or (before his appearance on the tennis scene), Tim Henman, to turn their back on Great Britain’s Wimbledon warm-up tournament.)

The success of the GWO has been well documented during its tenure as a stop on the tour. Next year, the 250 level ATP Tournament will become a 500 level affair, along with its rival, Queen’s or as it is now known, the AEGON Championships. (AEGON is a multinational life insurance, pensions and asset management company that is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.)

The ATP has revamped its schedule to give more weight to the grass court season by incorporating a three-week swing that leads up to Wimbledon. It will be comprised of events in Stuttgart, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Queen’s, Halle and a new event in Nottingham that was previously held in Eastbourne. It will contribute a seventy-five percent increase in the points that are now attributed to the season. Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President spoke recently and said, “The extended grass court season, with additional Emirates ATP Ranking points at stake is a positive step forward. One of our assets as a sport is to provide for variance across playing surfaces throughout the season.”

Top-notch tennis at the Gerry Weber Open has always been the goal. That premise was upheld today when German favorite, Philipp Kohlschreiber, who was looking to move once again into the final lost to a tough Colombian competitor, Alejandro Falla in an edge of the seat match that was the tennis feature of the day for German television. Falla’s victory 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 must have come as a surprise to the 2011 Halle winner, who was supported by the crowd comprised mainly of his countrymen. The two were on the court for two hours and twenty-one minutes, in an excruciatingly nail biting match for anyone without a racquet in their hand. Falla will be the first Colombian to reach an ATP World Tour final on grass ever.

Roger Federer.

This year, the singles final will be sans German contenders. The Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer eased his way into the slot opposite Falla when he defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-6. The hour and thirteen minute match was Federer’s for the taking all along. He managed to come up with 10 aces – (3 in the first set; 7 in the second). Of course, that wasn’t the entire match, but his success here is legendary. He first took home the title in 2003 with a win over 1999 winner, German, Nicolas Kiefer who at one point in his lengthy career was ranked 4th in the world. It always seemed as if it kicked off his rise to the top that lasted longer than any other player. Federer was the number one player in the world for a record 302 weeks. Chances are it will last a mighty long time.

In 2004, ’05, ’06, ’08, and ’13 he took home the GWO title, but by then he was a wizard on grass and it was never a surprise. That ’03 win was followed by the first of his Wimbledon titles. Up until now, Federer has won 13 titles on lawns; with seven at Wimbledon and six at the GWO. He will be looking toward his seventh (likely to have a little symmetry with his London results) when he takes to the court on Sunday afternoon.

In 2005, Federer won both the singles and doubles titles in Halle. He has an excellent chance to repeat that feat during Sunday’s title rounds, because he and countryman, Marco Chiudinelli managed to defeat the German duo of Dustin Brown and Jan-Lennard Struff, 7-5, 6-3 just after his doubles win. Even with the matches played one after the other, Federer said that it felt fine with a mere 35-minute break between the two matches. The Swiss players will face yet another German, Andre Begemann who has teamed with Julian Knowle of Austria to claim the other spot in the doubles contest.

Tomorrow will be a big day for Federer. He has had plenty of exposure in center courts all over the world. Tomorrow he will shoot for the title that often leads him on to a successful Wimbledon competition. There will be an added attraction, tomorrow. He will get a bit of serve and volley practice when he plays his fourth match in two days. (That could be a record in and of its self.) But, it is only secondary to all the other accomplishments that have been piled one on the other over the past sixteen years of a career that will surely be a standard for the ages.

Topics: Cheryl Jones, Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Kei Nishikori, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roger Federer, Tennis, Tennis News